My Name is Kirihara Akaya and I Need Help!
by Midnight Hikari
Summary: This is an interactive story experiment. At the end of each chapter, Kirihara will write a blog post about his relationship with Sakuno. You will leave plans/hints for him in the review to help him win Sakuno's heart. So read, review, and help! KiriSaku
1. Blog Entry 1

Unimportant AN: I seriously need to stop writing multi-chapter stories. It's my one-shots that are successful while my multi-chaps are usually always abandoned half way. I suppose it's because I lose interest in a series too quickly to finish them. (_Magic Trick_ readers, this is my reason; sorry.) I forced myself to finish _Edmund and Winifred_ and the ending sucked in my opinion. –sigh–

_**IMPORTANT AN:**_ Alrighty guys, welcome to my new experiment. The characters are going to be OOC but not too much (I hope). Hopefully with the reviewers help, we'll get Kirihara hook up with Sakuno. Basically the plot goes like this _for now:_

The story goes with how I feel like typing it. At the end of the chapter Kirihara writes in his online blog on how his day went with or without Sakuno.

Basically, you as the reader, are going to play Cupid with Kirihara via reviews on his blog/my story. You can even come up with little plans for him to follow. The ideas can be stupid, brilliant, or plain simple. This will hopefully keep me in place. Also, this has no ties with _Seating Issues_. Meaning – both Kirihara and Sakuno are going to start off as total strangers in high school. Ryoma won't be appearing yet, but he will play a major role in the story. Wish me luck!

* * *

_Blog Entry 1 – The Start of a Blog_

"Stupid Kaa-san for making me go grocery shopping. Stupid refrigerator for running out of food. Stupid, stupid, stupid…," grumbled sixteen-year-old Kirihara Akaya with a pout as he crumpled the shopping list in his hand. It was his second year as student of Rikkaidai University High School and is still known as the Junior Ace. "Why of all places she wants me to go shopping, why freaking Tokyo!"

He trekked through the snow filled sidewalks of Tokyo and pulled his jacket's hood over his head. This pathetic attempt to keep his ears cold failed and in fact made it worse for the teen. His teeth clattered and cursed his mother once more for literally throwing him out the house to buy carrots, fish, veggies, and the likes. At least she had the common courtesy to throw him his shoes and jacket as well. With his head down a bit, he continued with his 'difficult' journey.

It's obvious to see why he bumped into someone when he turned a corner into the grocery store.

"KYAA!" screeched the other person as she fell backwards onto the floor while Kirihara simply stumbled a bit back. Vegetables rolled across the sidewalk as people walked around the two and continued on their merry way. The pigtailed girl quickly grabbed fallen items around her.

Kirihara scrambled to help gather the fallen produce and nearly got his fingers stepped on multiple times. "_Warui ne_!" he said as he waited for the girl to get up. "You really should watch where you're going." The Junior Ace completely thought he was blameless in this event.

She finally got up and bowed deeply, "_Gomenasai!_ I wasn't looking where I was going. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

This set off a small memory in Kirihara's mind of his Yukimura-buchou in a hospital gown saying the same thing. He definitely owed the Buchou his tennis career and couldn't help but sigh. "It's fine. You owe me for picking up your stuff though," he said gesturing to the food items in his arms.

The girl straightened up and quickly relieved him of his burden. "Oh, thank goodness. Obaa-san would've had my head if all of these went to waste out here." She stuffed them carelessly into the bags and bowed once more, her hair nearly touching the floor. "I'm Ryuuzaki Sakuno, _yoroshiku onegaishimasu_."

Kirihara grinned and said, "Kirihara Akaya, 2nd Rikkaidai High." He mentally slapped himself for saying his grade and school affiliation. Now this girl would either A) run away screaming she met the Devil or B) pounce on him like many (rare) fangirls have done before. '_To think this girl is cute too_,' he thought with a mental pout.

Sakuno looked up and bit down the question 'Are you the same Kirihara Akaya who injured Fuji-sempai three years ago?' Instead, she smiled at him. "Ah, I remember you. You were at the Nationals playing against my school's tennis team."

"Ryuuzaki… Ryuuzaki…" Kirihara pondered aloud as the girl beamed at him. "Nah! You can't be related to that demon coach of Seigaku."

"She's my Obaa-san," she deadpanned. Sakuno was never a big fan of people called her grandmother a demon coach. Just because she works the team members to death and beyond doesn't exactly make her a demon. Right?

"…" He had no words to that statement.

"…" She was confused about the sudden silence.

To relieve the awkward tension between the two, Kirihara came up with a brilliant idea. "Ne, why don't you help me out for a lil' bit with my shopping? After all, you do owe me remember." He pulled her along by the elbow and began to walk as if he just won the Nationals all by himself.

"Um, _ano_…" was all the pig tailed girl could say as she was dragged back into the store she just came out of.

Thus, Sakuno found herself helping Kirihara shop for his list of items. She had given in once she saw the note on the back of the shopping list: _Aka-chan, either you get what's on this list or you don't step foot back inside my house! Love, Kaa-san._

It was even circled by a giant heart.

The butcher gave a hearty laugh as he saw the sight before him. "Now, ain't this the cutest sight I've seen today. You two look just like a married couple going out shopping." He weighed out the slabs of meat Sakuno had asked for and laughed once more when he saw the two in front of him blush. "Aw, are you two sure you're not together? I bet others would think it's cute too!"

They certainly did look like a couple. Sakuno had the shopping list in one hand and the other had a basket full of Kirihara's groceries. Kirihara was carrying Sakuno's bags.

"For the third time, NO WE'RE NOT GOING OUT!" Kirihara scowled as he adjusted his grip on the bags he carried. "She's just helping me with shopping that's all." He looked to his shorter companion on his left. "Right, Ryuuzaki?"

Sakuno simply nodded. "Ano, can we have three of this fish and two of that?" she asked pointing out the five. "Also, is it okay if you removed their fins and scales? I'm sure that would save Kirihara-kun's mother the trouble if she's making what I think she is with this list."

Kirihara sent her a questioning look as the butcher laughed once more. "Of course, little missy, anything your heart desires." He quickly began working on the fishes.

She turned to Kirihara with a gentle smile. "I'll be right back, Kirihara-kun. I need to go get the peanut butter and bread over there." Sakuno pointed to an aisle nearby.

He nodded at her and turned to the butcher hard at work. Once he was sure she was out of earshot and still within his sights he let out a sigh. "Hey, _Oyajii_! Why do you keep on calling us a couple?" the tennis player called out.

Finishing the fishes, the butcher turned back to the counter and began to bag them. "It's simple, boy. Believe or not, I've seen you with your mother coming here once or twice before. You're always sulking and pouting and making a fuss." He put the fishes on the scale.

"So what? I hate shopping."

The butcher tied up the bag, printed out the price, and slapped it on the bag of fish. "This time, boy, you're actually looking happy. You just met her, what, thirty minutes ago?"

"Yeah," Kirihara replied defensively, shifting his feet a bit. "We were just having a friendly conversation. A-and she was just telling me a joke, that's all!"

"Oh? What part of the joke had you saying you wanted to try her cooking?"

There was no reply.

"Come a little closer, son." Once Kirihara leaned in a bit, he whispered harshly, "Don't let a catch like that slip between your fingers. I can tell by the looks on your face right now, you probably think she's cute." He pulled back and began to clean the chopping board behind him. "Trust me when I say this, son. Love at first sight can happen, and boy, you've just landed in that position."

The soft steps of Sakuno caused Kirihara to turn towards her. "I'm back, Butcher-san!" She took the bags off the counter and placed them in the basket. "That's everything, Kirihara-kun! Let's go pay for this now, okay?"

Kirihara just let out a small, "Okay," and followed the girl in front of him. From the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw the butcher wink at him for a moment.

'_Dammit, now I can't even look at Ryuuzaki without thinking she's cute!'_

* * *

The two teens stood outside the store with their respective bags of groceries. They just stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what to do next. For one odd reason or another, both didn't want to be the first to say bye. The sun was setting and people began to push and shove to reach trains, buses, and taxies.

Sakuno said out of the blue, "Kirihara-kun, is it okay if I can have your cell phone number?"

He hastily transferred the bags in his right to his left and took out his phone. Sakuno did the same. Both switched cell phones and for a moment, their hands briefly touched. Kirihara struggled to hide his blush and let out a nervous laugh when he saw Sakuno's.

"I guess this means I'll be hearing from you soon?" Kirihara asked as the two began to part ways.

"_Hai_! Kirihara-kun said he wanted to taste my cooking, right?"

Kirihara nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! Sakuno-chan's (I can call you that, right?) cooking sounds really good. If I bring it to school, Marui-sempai's definitely going to drool over it. And it'll be all mine!" He let out a laugh at the thought of Marui drooling over his lunch. He'd eat it without sharing too.

She giggled a bit. "You can call me Sakuno-chan, Kirihara-kun. If you'd like, I'll make extra for you to share–"

"No!" Kirihara yelped out and caused Sakuno to flinch. "What I mean is… argh. Marui-sempai eats a lot and once he starts, he'll never stop. So… yeah," he finished lamely.

Sakuno looked at him confusedly but smiled once more. "I'll… I'll text you to say when I have time to make and bring you the bento, okay?"

He nodded enthusiastically and began to jump up and down at the thought of free food. "Yep, yep! I'll see you later then, Sakuno-chan!" He gave her a quick hug and then ran off for the bus.

The teen left Sakuno just as fast as he ran into her. She raised her hand to her cheek. There was a small tingle in the spot where his lips just barely brushed her cheek when he gave her that hug. The young girl blushed brightly and quickly walked home.

Later on, Kirihara repeatedly banged his head against the bus's window. "Stupid, Stupid, Stupid." This caused people to keep a small distance from the boy.

'_I kissed her! Well, it's not really a kiss since it was on the cheek but still. It was a kiss. She's probably disgusted by me now. Oh God. I kissed a girl. Oh man, Niou-sempai and Marui-sempai would kill me if they found out. She probably doesn't like me anymore. Wait, why am I freaking out over this? It's not like I like her or anything. That butcher was just joking. A demon like me and an angel like her? Together? Don't make me laugh. Haha. Haha. Hah…'_

The bus was coming to his stop when Kirihara let out a frustrated yell and caused many people to scramble towards the exit. The rattled boy left the bus with one thought on his mind.

'_That damned butcher was right.'_

* * *

RING RING RI-

"What do you want now, Bakaya?" Niou Masaharu hissed angrily on the other side of the phone.

Kirihara, in all of his infinite wisdom, decided to ask his sempai for help to reel in Sakuno. But the moment Niou answered the phone, all intents on asking his teammates for help flew out the window. So he asked instead, "Niou-sempai, what would you do when you need help but you don't want the others to know about it?"

This intrigued the _petenshi_ and a low whistle came from him. "So you wanna learn how to keep secrets from the team, huh, Bakaya? Buchou's going to be very sad about that when I tell him." Niou pulled out his big weapon against the 2nd year.

It partially worked. Kirihara was tempted to spill but the thought of his teammates scaring Sakuno off was too much. "M-Mura-buchou will understand… I hope," he croaked out the last part. "So tell me!"

Niou cackled from the other side of the line. "Fine then, it would've been no fun if you spilled. I'll find out somehow, I have my ways."

The Junior Ace shivered at the end of the sentence.

"I'd start a blog of some sort on the internet. You know, for people to read and give me help."

"EH? But that's embarrassing!" Kirihara whined.

The rattail sighed loudly. "This is why I call you Bakaya, Bakaya. Use different names when you post. Like, when you post about yourself, say K.A. or something lame like that."

He grinned and said, "Thanks a bunch, Niou-sempai!" and promptly hung up the phone.

On the other end of the line, Niou looked phone with surprise. "_Piyo_, I can't believe the brat actually fell for that crap."

* * *

_10/17/20XX_

_Dear Freak who is Reading This._

_My name is KA and I need help! Pleeeease, I really like this girl Saku and I reeeealy want her to like me back. The thing is I've got a bad reputation for being violent sometimes. Petenshi-sempai said that I should start a blog to ask for help. So… yeah. Any ideas? I know she likes to cook and she just sent me a text right now. She said that she'll be able to deliver me a bento tomorrow morning on the morning bus to school (we attend different schools). And I accepted it._

_WHAT THE HELL SHOULD I DO?_

_KA_

_PS – I just met her this afternoon._

* * *

AN: I'm just as nervous as Akaya right now. I hope you guys liked this chapter. Hopefully, the next chapter will be up after maybe three or four reviews come in. Constructive criticism please. All flames will be used to burn my Twilight books I still need to get rid of.

Also, this chapter is dedicated to Card Captor Yuki. She had requested me to make another KiriSaku, so thank her! Yuki, I hope this story is to your liking. ^_^

Come one guys, Kirihara is depending on YOU to help him win Sakuno's heart! And yes, Kirihara will post a thank you for helping him out (in his own way). He will also post if he hates you if the plan does not work out. Good luck handling the Demon Elf.


	2. Blog Entry 2

AN: I AM ALIVE! Holy shuckleberry, I never knew my story would be so popular. 13 reviews is a big thing for me. To all those who replied to Kirihara, thank you so much! Almost everyone's reviews had the same thing so I had to improvise a lot. Meaning, yes people, there is teasing for him ready to go. Plans will go wrong but will go right and open doors for him.

"Oh yeah, oh ready? It's a showtime!" ~Rikkai Young-Kan 'Soulmate'

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Blog Entry 2 – So Fast!

_Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap_

Kirihara impatiently waited for his bus to arrive. He looks at his watch on his left hand. _'Damn bus should be here by now.'_ Looking left and right, he noticed that the other students who usually waited for their buses were not there. He shoved his hand down his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.

_Thank her. Compliment her. Be nice. Be yourself. Return the favor. Offer to take her out as a treat for the bento. Don't be too forceful. Help her. Get to know her. Avoid Devil Mode. Don't pull her braids!_

These were advice given to him from people who commented on his blog. Kirihara was surprised at first on how many people wanted to help him. Then he just thought on how many people just wanted a good laugh. But the tips they gave him were better than nothing. He read the scribbled words two more times before he shoved it back into his pocket.

The bus finally arrived. Kirihara boarded, paid his fare, and went to the far back of the bus. He placed his chin on his right fist and stared out the window. Trees, buildings, people, and cars zoomed by as the bus's AC served as a lullaby to him. It was a long ride to Sakuno's stop and an even longer ride to Rikkai High. Normally, he wouldn't take the long route to his school, but then he'd be alone. If he took the longer bus, at least he had Sakuno to talk to halfway through the drive.

'_I wonder what Sakuno-chan made me. She probably looks cute in her uniform,' _Kirihara's mind babbled as he slowly fell asleep.

Not too long after, Sakuno boarded the bus. She saw the familiar seaweed hair and scurried onto the back of the bus. Taking the seat next to him, she brushed the wrinkles out of her skirt. _'Kirihara-kun must be really tired. I shouldn't wake him up.' _Sakuno smiled as she heard a light snore come from the sleeping teen. She took out her notes from the last school day and began to review.

The entire ride was just like that. Sakuno read her notes, checked her bag in fear of leaving something important back home, and took out her library book to read. Kirihara continued to snore the time away with the occasional mumbles of "No, Marui-senpai, don't hit me with the English notes," or "Don't touch my bento, Niou-senpai." Sakuno's favorite line was "I'll crush you with a cha-cha," which she found completely cute in a way.

"NEXT STOP: SEISHUN HIGH. NEXT STOP: SEISHUN HIGH," the bus speakers announced and startled the pig-tailed girl.

Sakuno immediately packed her book away and took out the bento for Kirihara. It was a two layered bento with a thermos of miso soup. There was fried shrimp, octopus shaped sausages, tempura, tennis ball-shaped rice balls, assorted veggies, and some grilled fish. She even went so far to make pictures out of the seaweed she used to place on the rice inside. She scribbled a quick note and placed it on top of the bento.

_To Kirihara Akaya-kun. From Ryuuzaki Sakuno._

"Have a good day, Kirihara-kun," she bowed to the seaweed head before leaving the bus. There Tomoka was waiting for her, impatiently she might add.

The other girl sighed. "About time you got here, Sakuno! Listen, I've just received the latest news on Ryoma-sama!" she gushed. "It turns out that he's been going around the American circuit…"

Just another day for Sakuno. Now don't get her wrong, she was still interested in hearing news about her old crush, Ryoma. But she got over him a long time ago. Now if she could only convince her senpai-tachi, Tomo-chan, and the Ichinen Trio of this.

Meanwhile on the bus, a certain Junior Ace was just finishing his nap.

"That was nice," Kirihara yawned as he woke up and stretched. Seeing something brightly colored from the corner of his eye, he notices the bento left for him. "EH? Sakuno-chan was here? While I was asleep? Why didn't she wake me up?"

Before he could even whip out his cell phone to text the girl, the bus speakers announced, "NEXT STOP: RIKKAI HIGH. NEXT STOP: RIKKAI HIGH."

He looked out the window and there Rikkaidai was in all its glory. Kirihara quickly packed the bento into his bag and got ready to leave the bus when something suddenly hit him. "…Oh crap. I just remembered we had morning practice today."

Images of the Three Demons began to spring in his head as the bus left him in front of the school gates. He watched as his only hope for salvation sped away from him. Kirihara turned around only to receive the biggest (and possibly worst) surprise waiting for him. Lo and behold, there Sanada, Yukimura, and Yanagi were respectably. To the right of Sanada was Niou smirking and Yagyuu pushing his glasses up with a frown on his face. To the left of Yanagi was Marui blowing his signature bubble and Jackal sighing.

"M-morning, senpai-tachi… Sorry I'm late." Kirihara flinched under the intense glare of his fukubuchou. Only two words could describe his current situation and he was more than happy to say them out loud.

"Oh, shit."

* * *

It was lunchtime as the Rikkaidai Regulars gathered on the rooftop of the school. They all sat down on the floor and waited for the rest of the members to arrive. Jackal was the last to arrive and with him was a small bag of ice. He gave the bag to Kirihara, who sighed in ecstasy as he held it to his swollen cheek. They were in a circle of Yukimura, Sanada, Yanagi, Jackal, Yagyuu, Niou, Marui, and Kirihara respectively.

"Ne, does Sanada-fukubuchou really need to hit that hard? I already said sorry," he whined as he rubbed the ice bag against his cheek lovingly.

Yukimura gave a small laugh, "I'm sorry Akaya. But you should know better than to come to practice late." He took out the bento his mother made for him and waited as the others took out their lunches as well.

All Kirihara could do was give the Child of God a small pout.

"Oi, Bakaya, I noticed you were taking a different bus. According to bus schedules, that bus you rode takes the longer route to school. Any reason why you took that one?" Marui asked as he unloaded his sugary stash of sweets unto the floor in front of him. The amount of sweets in front of him was enough to send any normal human into a diabetic coma.

Kirihara tried to hide a blush, which was not missed by the rest of the team. (Except for Marui, he was too busy digging into his sweets to care then.) "Not really," he muttered as he took out the bento and thermos and placed it on the floor in front of him.

"Well I'll be damned," Niou remarked as he leaned closer to him. "You actually have a bento this time." He smirked, "Where'd ya get it from, huh?

Jackal silently gave a breath of relief; he didn't need to share his food that day. Yanagi took a quick note of the bento as Sanada ignored the rest of the team's antics for his own lunch. Yagyuu had the ghost of a smile on his face while Yukimura beamed at the boy.

"Why, Akaya," he said as the youngest opened the bento. "That's a very lovely bento your mother made. A high class bento like that is surely packed with love for her son."

Before Kirihara could even respond, his phone began to buzz in his bag. He turned around and took out his phone. He flipped the phone open to see a text waiting to be read.

"_I hope you like the bento, Kirihara-kun. I'm sorry for not waking you up earlier on the bus. You looked really peaceful. Please tell me what you think of it when you're finished. From, R. Sakuno._ Piyo!"

Kirihara's head snapped up. He saw Niou reading the message aloud to his horror. "Niou-senpai!" he wailed as the Trickster of the Courts sat down once more. His face was burning and he could feel people in Shitenhouji laughing at him.

"Awww, wittle bitty Bakaya has a gi~rlfriend!" Marui cooed as he leaned on Jackal's shoulder from laughing too hard.

Yaguu smiled amiably at Kirihara. "Kirihara-kun, please do not forget to thank the young lady." He wiped his mouth with a napkin after finishing his rice.

Yanagi nodded to Sanada, "Genichirou, I do believe Akaya is finally growing up." Kirihara couldn't tell if the Data Master was joking or not.

"Tarundoru!"

'_About what?'_ Kirihara wanted to shrivel up and die… or at least for the roof to open up and swallow him. Wait. He takes it back, for if the roof did swallow him, it'd take Yukimura along as well.

Said captain laughed lightly, "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Akaya. As long as she does not get in the way of training, I'll approve." He took a bite of his tempura.

This did not help one bit. Okay, so it did help a little bit.

"Senpai-tachi!" Kirihara groaned after taking a bite out of the (wonderful) bento. "Sakuno-chan's not my girlfriend. I just met her yesterday!"

An awkward silence washed over the entire team. Marui dropped his lollipop, Yagyuu stared, Jackal's jaw dropped, Yukimura eyes widened by just a fraction, Yanagi wrote down notes, Niou grinned, and Sanada kept on eating.

Marui clapped him on his back, "You move pretty fast for a kid."

'_Please, kill me now!' _The Junior Ace of Rikkaidai never ate so fast before to leave his senpai-tachi. However, his efforts were in vain.

"So that's the little secret you wanted to keep from us, huh?" Niou asked as he slurped his noodles. Turning to the rest of the team, the _petenshi_ explained, "The Bratling here wanted to keep a secret from us. I'd like to think lil' Sakuno is that secret."

Kirihara could've sworn Yagyuu's glasses glinted manically. "So Kirihara-kun is having love troubles?"

With the amount of writing Yanagi was doing, it was a surprise that he didn't overload yet.

Jackal nodded. "It seems so. I remember when I had my first crush back in Brazil."

"Eh? Really, senpai?" Kirihara asked. Everyone save for Sanada was interested in his tale. Not to mention, it was a reasonable subject change. "What happened?"

"She turned out to be celibate."

Even this caught Sanada's attention.

* * *

Tennis practice afterschool was hell for Kirihara and he did not like it one bit. It was ironic too because he was often called a 'Devil'.

Don't get him wrong, he loved tennis with a passion. He loved messing around with the first years and loved to beat the non-regulars in a short game. (He was trying to beat his record of winning a game in 5 minutes and winning a set in 10 minutes.) He loved watching his Yanagi-senpai make the first years drink the strange concoctions his Seigaku counterpart sent to him. Niou-senpai and Marui-senpai abusing the non-regulars was a favorite thing for him to help with. But his most absolute favorite was the bitch-slapping.

What he didn't like was that Niou-senpai and Marui-senpai kept bugging him with so-called 'Love Advice'. He didn't like Yagyuu-senpai's random gentlemen lessons, nor did he like the shadow of a smile on Jackal-senpai's face whenever he saw his kouhai.

Yukimura-buchou and Sanada fukubuchou were a breath of fresh air. Even though Yukimura would pet his hair almost twice as often as he used to, Sanada's ruthlessness made up for it. He ran 100 laps, did 30 push-ups and 50 pull-ups, and swung his racquet 500 times.

It was about five in the afternoon when practice was dismissed. "Ah~, my muscles hurt like hell," Kirihara groaned as he pulled off his tennis shirt. The locker room was empty except for him and his Yanagi-senpai. "Is all this really needed?"

"You know that it is, Akaya," Yanagi stated as he began to tie his tie. "According to my data, the amount of exercises you've done today should increase your arm strength in general by 5%."

Kirihara stuffed his blazer into his bag. "Eh? So little?"

"Would you rather it be 0%?" He smiled when he heard the younger boy slam his locker and took it as a 'no'.

"See ya, Yanagi-senpai." Kirihara turned swung the door wide open, his tennis bag and school bag in hand.

"Akaya."

"What, senpai?" he asked without turning around. It was getting late and he was tired. He just wanted to go home.

"I had a small chat online with Sadaharu earlier during study hall." Yanagi chose his words carefully. "According to him, Ryuuzaki Sakuno has had a crush on the 3rd Seigaku pillar, Echizen Ryoma, since her first year in middle school."

Kirihara tensed at the names mentioned. "And?" he asked, half-thinking of the bento in his bag right then. He also took note of the 'has had' part.

"Sadaharu says there is a 60% chance of her feelings…"

He waited for the impact of his senpai's words. _'She probably still likes him, huh, senpai?'_

"…having decreased by then. There's also a 25% chance of her losing all feelings for him," Yanagi finished. He finished packing his things and prodded at his kouhai's knees to move. "Excuse me; I need to lock the clubroom."

"Is there a reason why you're telling me this, senpai?" Kirihara asked as he watched him lock the clubhouse. They walked together to the bus stop in front of the school.

The two stopped and waited. "I have a reason for everything I do, Akaya." Yanagi saw his bus arriving three minutes earlier than before. "As your senpai, it is my duty to look after you. Believe or not, most of the things the team does that may seem like an annoyance to you has a valid reason behind it. The data may seem like your possible relationship to her may have ended so fast, but it has simply just begun." He boarded the bus, leaving Kirihara to his thoughts.

The 2nd year took out his phone and opened up a new text message. _'Sakuno-chan, thanks for the bento today. It was really amazing. I wanna pay back the favor. I'll give you your bento tomorrow with my cooking. Don't laugh, okay? I can't exactly cook that well. See ya tomorrow! Kirihara Akaya.'_

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10/18/20XX

_Dear Freaks,_

_Saku can cook really well! And I'm taking your ideas of returning the favor by cooking for her. Uh, what can I make? Make it really simple, please. I'm not that good of a cook and Okaa-san always bans me from the kitchen. Senpai-tachi found out even though they weren't supposed to. But they're trying to help… at least I think they are._

_Data-senpai says the Saku likes another guy. But he hasn't been around for two years so maybe the feelings died a bit. I don't wanna lose Saku so what should I do?_

_That reminds me, Gentleman-senpai told me to exercise the 'Gentlemen Lessons'he gave me earlier. So, yeah. Those who helped me out, thanks._

_KA_

* * *

AN: I am so sorry for updating after an entire month. School and Girl Scouts completely took over my life. I promise to try to bring in the next chapter earlier. Constructive criticism please. Also, if possible, give me more ideas to work with. Try straying from the 'be yourself' approach. This is Kirihara we're talking about. I think he knows better than to be who he's not, right?

So the topics this time are 'What can Kirihara cook' and 'How can Kirihara show that he's not like Ryoma'? I'd like to see your submissions. I'm sure they're bound to be quite interesting.

Come one guys, Kirihara is depending on YOU to help him win Sakuno's heart!

Until next time everyone. ~Puri, Piyo, Adieu!


	3. Blog Entry 3

AN: I LIVE! It's been little over a month since I last update and I apologize profusely. My AP World History College Board exams are coming and I can assure you – I'm no Tezuka. I've been busy with National Honor Society, Class Steering, and Girls Scouts to even touch the story. But 9 reviews are pretty good. I feel pretty proud of myself. So this time, plans will go right. That is, until near the end of the chapter.

Guess what? Extra-long chapter! There are also references to Tim Burton's _Alice in Wonderland_ so be prepared.

I've been forgetting to do the disclaimers. As of now and for the past few chapters, I totally do not own Tennis no Oujisama/Prince of Tennis.

"To be with love." ~Rikkai Young-Kan 'Owaranai Ai'

* * *

_Blog Entry 3 – Does This Count as a Date?_

Kirihara was too wide awake to fall asleep this time. He was watching the trees and buildings zoom by as he stared out the window. The second year decided to quit it and took out the bento from his bag. He carefully opened the covers as if it were a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.

Inside the bento were omurice, slightly burned octopus sausages, a roll of tamagoyaki, a side of vegetables, and a generous amount of mini-riceballs. There were also pieces of grilled salmon and tuna next to the riceballs. On the second layer, there were small pieces of daifuku mochi, manju buns, a stick of dango, and a lone piece of taiyaki. This lunch would have been impossible without the help of his dear, loving mother.

_FLASHBACK_

_Taking small, unsure steps into the confines of his family's kitchen, Kirihara poked his head into the room. "Uh… Kaa-san?" he said as he took more steps into unfamiliar territory._

_His mother, Kirihara Saya, turned to him and smiled brightly. "Is something the matter, Aka-bun?" she continued cutting the lettuce despite not looking down. "You should know better than to enter the kitchen. Stay right next to the walls, sweetheart."_

_He clung to the wall as if it were his lifeline. "I wanna make a bento… for a friend."The Rikkai Devil took out the brightly colored two-tier bento from his backpack. "She gave –"_

_Saya turned with a gasp and the knife slipped out of her hands. It flew through the air and embedded itself in the place where Kirihara's head would have been if he had not ducked in time. She ignored her son's wide eyes and squealed, "You got a bento from a girl! Oh, Aka-bun, you're growing up so fast!"_

_Kirihara stood frozen in his place – just like a deer looking into headlights._

_She came over and wrapped her son into a hug, completely forgetting about the knife in the wall. "Moro! Your son is growing up! He got a bento from a girl!"Saya cried out into the open garage door to her left._

_A voice from the garage replied, "Yeah, so what? He gets bentos a lot since he's a Regular. What's the difference now?"_

"_He's going to give her a bento back!" she cooed as she nuzzled her cheek to Kirihara's._

'Someone, anyone, please kill me now,'_ Kirihara thought miserably as his father stormed into the kitchen._

"_Akaya, it's time I give you The Talk."_

_END OF FLASHBACK_

He was taken out of his little flashback when the bus came to a sudden stop. He peered out the window and saw a familiar pair of braids in the line going into the bus. Once he saw her head disappear from his sight, he looked in front of him.

Sakuno finished paying her fare and walked down the bus aisle to the seat next to Kirihara. After sitting down, she had her bento and thermos shoved into her arms. She took the items gingerly before looking at Kirihara himself.

"Thanks a bunch, Sakuno-chan! I loved it!" the little Devil grinned enthusiastically. His grin grew when he saw her return it with a smile.

The brunette let out a small sigh of relief, "Thank goodness, I was worried you wouldn't like the food." She looked at the bento in her hands and quietly added, "Ryoma-kun always said that they were 'mada mada'."

Kirihara frowned at the mention of the 3rd Seigaku Pillar. He remembered the advice some people gave him online and did his best to ignore the green-eyed demon within him. His control slipped a little as he let out, "Then he was an idiot."

She looked at him in surprise. "Kirihara-kun!"

"He should know a good bento when he gets one." He tried piecing a good recovery remark to get rid of the disapproving look on his friend's face. "You must've heard him wrong." Then he teased, "You get a little distracted during conversations sometimes."

"Do not!" Sakuno laughed.

"Do too!"

…

After awhile of mindless chatting, the bus speakers announced, "NEXT STOP: SEIGAKU HIGH. NEXT STOP: SEIGAKU HIGH."

Kirihara glanced outside the window and saw Seigaku High creeping closer by the second. He interrupted his companion and said, "Sakuno-chan?"

The teen stopped and looked at him curiously. "Yes, Kirihara-kun?"

"Uh, we don't have any practice this afternoon since the tennis courts are being scrubbed down after school. So... I was wondering if I could come by and pick you up here."

"S-sure," Sakuno blushed.

This caused Kirihara to blush a little as well. "C-cool. Is it okay if I took you to a café? You know, like a mini-date or something?"

Sakuno pulled at one of her braids, "I-I don't see why not." Gathering up as much courage as she could, she replied as the bus pulled to a stop, "It's a date then."

"Great," Kirihara said with a massive smile as he watched her get up and leave. "I'll see you then."

She exited the bus and turned to watch it leave. She saw him wave to her at the window and she waved back, standing on her tip-toes as the bus drove out of her sight.

"Sakuno," a voice started her from behind.

The teen whirled around to see Tomoka.

"You were you waving to?"

…

The tennis courts of Rikkaidai were full of members training. However, this didn't stop Niou and Marui noticing Kirihara walk in. He was already changed into his uniform and had his racket with him. But what caught their attention the most was voiced out by Yukimura himself.

"Why Akaya, you look certainly happy. Did something good happen to you this morning?" he asked.

Kirihara's huge grin remained on his face, "Yup!"

"Ooo, lil' Aka-chan got himself the girl," Niou slurred as Marui nudged him in the side with a snicker. "So what's new with you and the _hime_? Got yourself a date?"

Sanada stormed into the scene, "Tarundoru! Niou! Marui! Akaya! Why are you two just standing here letting daylight waste?" He didn't bother to wait for their excuses. "80 laps around the courts!"

The trio lazily chorused, "Hai~!" and began their laps.

Yukimura smiled gently as he watched the three runs their laps. Sanada crossed his arms and yelled at some bumbling 2nd years messing up their forms and thus messing up their swings. Yanagi played a game with Marui and was winning. Yagyuu and Jackal were umpiring games between a few first years.

"What a nice breeze," Yukimura commented as he felt the wind pick his hair up. "It must be a good omen."

All was good in the world of Rikkaidai.

* * *

Kirihara left the bus and began to walk aimlessly through the school grounds of Seigaku. He received a text from Sakuno asking him to wait for a while at the gates. Turns out, she forgot she had cleaning duty that day and had to stay a bit longer. She said that she'd text him as soon as she finished. So he figured it wouldn't hurt 'sharpening' his ninja skills by sneaking around the campus.

He quickly snuck beneath the shadows of an oak tree and stood still for a moment. His dark uniform blended in and was unnoticeable. At least, that's what he thought.

"KYAAA!" a feminine voice above him cried out as she leaped off the branches concealing her. She landed on Kirihara's back, pushing his chest to the ground. His bags fell to the ground with an audible thud. You could hear the tennis rackets clatter against each other from the impact.

'_From the trees?'_ he thought dazedly as he attempted to regain his senses. The weight on him was lifted before he felt a foot press down on his back. "Oi! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The girl laughed maniacally, "Is that how you plan on treating Sakuno's best friend, the great Osakada Tomoka?" She grinned when she saw Kirihara tried turn his head to look at her. She released him from her foot and stepped back to give him room.

He brushed off the dust and dirt from the front of his uniform before turning to the slightly shorter girl. "You know Sakuno-chan?" the Rikkai Devil asked warily.

"Yep!" Tomoka leaned in conspiratorially, "You've been making Sakuno really happy these past two days. Keep it up, okay?" She took her leave after seeing the grin on his face.

It was, of course, wiped off as soon as she began to walk away. "Hey wait a minute! You jump out of the trees and onto me just to say that?" he hissed angrily.

Tomoka turned to him, gave a v-sign and said, "Yup!" She walked faster to the gates and left the school grounds.

The scowl on Kirihara's face was replaced by a pout as soon as he couldn't see her anymore. His phone buzzed in his pocket and his excitedly took the device out. He read to himself, '_Kirihara-kun, I'm leaving right now. I'll be there in a few minutes. –Ryuuzaki Sakuno_.'

Grabbing his bags, he raced back to the entrance and dropped his stuff on the ground once more. Kirihara ran his hand through his hair before giving up on his attempt to tame the wild curls. He quickly smoothed out any invisible wrinkles on his uniform before leaning against the pillars of Seigaku with his foot on the wall. It was a perfect example of a guy waiting for someone when he just arrived at the scene.

"Kirihara-kun!" A voice greeted as footsteps grew louder towards his direction. There Sakuno was running towards him with a happy smile. She stopped in front of him to take a breath before asking, "Did I make you wait too long? I'm sorry."

"Nah, it's all good. I just got here a couple of minutes ago." He pushed himself off the wall and picked up his bags. "Ready to go?"

"Yes!" she said as she walked next to his side.

It was a strange thing really. Kirihara's stride was a tad slower than it usually was while her's was a bit faster than before. However, both were completely comfortable with the pace they were going.

…

_Mad Hatter's Tea Party_ was a local family-run café based on the children's story book, _Alice in Wonderland_. The tables were of different sizes, chairs different kinds, and the spoons and forks were different designs. The table cloths had holes in them, which were covered by plastic to prevent staining, and the colors inside were clashing beautifully. In a nutshell, the café was an OCD's worst nightmare come to life.

Kirihara pushed open the door and held it for Sakuno. A brief 'thank you' and the two were soon seated at a small table.

'_Shoot, I forgot to follow Yagyuu-senpai's tip,'_ Kirihara thought as he saw Sakuno pull out her own chair. He shrugged it off and took a good look at the menu labeled 'The Oraculum'. Different cakes, pastries, and foodstuffs were listed.

The younger teen across him looked around in wonder and awe. "This place amazing! I didn't know that a cute café was here," she smiled to herself as she looked at the menu. Sakuno closed the menu and placed it in front of her.

Kirihara grinned at her as he placed the menu down. "Mura-buchou told me that his sister was raving about this place for a while. That's why I thought it'd be nice to check it out with you." He raised his hand and waved over a waiter.

"Is it okay if I order a slice of Upelkuchen Cake and a glass of Pishsalver?" Sakuno asked the seaweed-head.

He nodded. "Go ahead, it's my treat." After she finished her order, he added, "I'll have some Gribling Puffs and Jabberwocky's Blood."

The waiter bowed and left with their orders.

Sakuno and Kirihara began a light conversation on the terror known as English class. It soon turned into the topic of Sakuno's Home Economics class and to the strange antics of the Rikkaidai Regulars.

After an hour when Kirihara made it to his third story of Niou impersonating Sanada, Sakuno was already holding both of her hands to her mouth in an attempt to stop laughing too loudly. She had tears of joy and managed to squeak out, "Stop, stop, it's too much!"

"But I was getting to the good part!" he whined with a smile. "So Niou-senpai took the racket and began to run around as Fukubuchou. He went and used the tip of the racket to lift up a bunch of the tennis girl's skirts but never really looked. He made enough noise to let the girls take a look at his face before running off."

"Hahaha!"

"Later I saw Fukubuchou with a bunch of red marks on his face. I never knew girls could be so violent!"

Sakuno snuffed a laugh down before answering, "Well, Kirihara-kun, they had the right to be mad. I mean, Niou-san did lift up their skirts. Girls don't like at all."

Kirihara looked innocently at her, "You too?"

She blushed a bright red. "Of course. It's embarrassing if that happens to anyone."

"No, I mean, would you slap Niou-senpai too?"

"I w-wouldn't go that far!" Sakuno cried out. "I mean, I-I'd probably raise my voice a bit, but that's it. I don't like violence that much." She silently berated herself for allowing her stuttering habits to resurface.

The Demon of Rikkaidai frowned. He grabbed the bill from the table top and fished out his wallet from his right pocket. Placing the yen bills, he once again waved to the waiter to the table. There was enough change to be placed as the tip and he told the waiter so.

Both stood up and pushed their chair in. They left the café with content stomachs and began to stroll. It was around 4:30 PM and people were already beginning to go home from work. Traffic jams filled the major streets as Kirihara walked on the street side and kept Sakuno near the shops.

He led her to a nearby park and to an open field on a small hill. "Come on, put your stuff on the ground," he said as he unceremoniously dropped his.

"Eh?" Sakuno was thoroughly confused. Nonetheless, she did as she was told.

"Good," Kirihara stood straight up. "Now hit me."

"EH?" Sakuno repeated. "Why?"

"Because," he said seriously, "you obviously can't protect yourself!"

Wincing, Sakuno stood her ground. "I don't want to hit you," she said with finality.

Kirihara narrowed his eyes. "You don't? Well, fine. You'll always be a weak little girl."

It was as if a knife stabbed her.

"You'll always be depending on other people." Stab.

"You'll never go anywhere in the world." Stab.

"You'll never get a job." Stab.

"You'll never get a boyfriend." Stab stab.

Tears sprung in her eyes, "Quit it, Kirihara-kun."

"What?" Kirihara taunted, stepping closer to her. "Awwww, is lil' Saku-chan gonna cry? Wah wah, boo hoo."

Sakuno finally lashed out. "Stop it!" she screamed shoving a surprised Kirihara. She watched as he teetered back and forth on one foot from the force before falling backwards and down the hill. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" she yelped.

Laughter filled the air. Kirihara stood up laughing, clutching his sides. "I-it's not a punch, but it's a start," he commented as Sakuno ran down to his side.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me!"

Kirihara brushed her worries off. "I'm fine! You just surprised me that's all."

Surprised, Sakuno replied, "But- but I shoved you! You fell back!"

"Exactly, but that was because I didn't think you were gonna shove me. I just thought you were gonna slap me!" He continued laughing, ignoring the pouting girl in front of him.

"That was really mean, Kirihara-kun. I thought you meant all of that," she huffed. "You really shouldn't be laughing; I was worried that you were hurt." The pigtailed girl began going back up the hill to retrieve her belongings.

There was a pause before Kirihara went up to her and asked, "Hey wait! Where you going?" He kept up with her moderately fast pace. "Awww, come on, Sakuno-chan. Don't be like this." The lack of reply made him worried. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to hurt you?"

Leaning down, Sakuno grabbed her bag and looked at him. "Honest?"

He did the same after getting his things. "Yup, really. I just wanted to teach you how to fight, that's all."

Kirihara admitted that it was cute to see Sakuno look down at her shoes.

"I don't like violence that much," she repeated from before. "So I wouldn't be a really good student to you."

"Uh, I think you're missing the point. It's for you to learn how to defend yourself."

"Oh, I see. Then I guess it wouldn't hurt. I'd have to ask Obaa-chan though." Sakuno shyly smiled at Kirihara, who beamed back at her.

...

Around 5 P.M. both finally left the park and went to the nearest bus stop. They sat on the benches for a while in complete silence, even as a bus pulled up heading west. Unfortunately, Kirihara has to take a different bus than this going east. They bade each other bye before Sakuno boarded the bus to go home. Thus, Kirihara sat alone at the stop to muse over the day's happenings.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, alerting him of its presence. He flipped the phone open to read a text that came from Sakuno.

'_Kirihara-kun, thank you so much for today! It's hard to believe that we only met a couple of days ago. But I had a lot of fun on our outing. The bento you made was good too! Thank you so much! From, R. Sakuno.'_

The grin on the Rikkai student was enough to power several cities. He quickly texted back. _'No problem, Sakuno-chan! Ne, do you think you could call me by my first name? 'Kirihara-kun' is so~ formal. Kirihara Akaya.'_

As he sent the message, he couldn't help but think he was going too fast. People on first name basis are usually very close to each other. His _senpai-tachi_ called him that because they considered him the 'baby' of the team, much to his displeasure. He asking Sakuno to call him this was a big step. Suddenly, Kirihara became nervous. What if Sakuno said no?

A vibration on his hand snapped the poor boy out of his thoughts.

'_I-I don't see why not. I don't want to cause Akaya-kun any kind of discomfort. I'll see you in the morning then. My battery is dying. ^_^U From, R. Sakuno.'_

"Aww, she even stutters in her texts!" Kirihara laughed out before fully understanding the contents of the text. His eyes widened before he let out a whoop of joy.

* * *

_10/19/20XX_

_Dear Minna-san,_

_I went on a mini-date (I guess it counts as that) today with Saku. I gave her the bento and she said that it was good! Today was a really great day. Saku and I are on a first-name basis now. This is a good sign, right?_

_After the date, I took Saku to the park. I offered to teach her how to fight, you know, for self-defense? But I said some really mean things to her before I gave her the offer. She's too nice, you know? She was mad at me for a while, but after the offer, she forgave me. See? She's too nice! But Saku has to ask her Obaa-chan first before we go with the lessons._

_So yeah, thanks for the help. Things are really going my way now. But I was wondering, what kind of moves should I teach Saku first?_

_KA_

* * *

Somewhere, a teen boy stepped into the crowded airport. He pulled his cap down and smirked. Loud English chatter filled the air. On the PA, a voice called out, "FLIGHT 360, NEW YORK TO TOKYO, IS NOW BOARDING AT GATE 10."

* * *

AN : Please don't kill me~ I know I haven't updated in the very longest time but Real Life got in the way. I also want to point out that Kirihara's been VERY OOC. And I stress the 'very' part. I have a counter for that. In this story, Sakuno is his first crush so it's somewhat natural for him to be all excised and such over her. And this, being Kirihara, he'll take any chance he gets to get the girl. So please, drop a review and help the poor baby out.

So this topic is "What can Kirihara teach Sakuno how to fight?" Ready… Set… Go!


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